Fulton Chair John Eaves Receives Governor’s International ‘Individual of the Year’ Award

Fulton County Chairman John H. Eaves was honored with the “Individual of the Year Award” in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2013 Governor’s International Awards.

The award was presented on Oct. 3, and recognizes Eaves’ extensive work in strengthening international ties for the benefit of Fulton County citizens and businesses.

During his tenure as Chairman of Fulton County’s Board of Commissioners, Eaves has built strong international ties in trade and cultural exchanges. He championed the creation of the Global Youth Leadership, which allows youth leaders to expand their world view through international travel experiences.

Since its inception, the program has allowed youth to visit South Africa, Germany, Turkey, China and Brazil. Eaves has also led trade missions to Brazil and has worked closely with the international community in Fulton County.

“I think Atlanta has the potential of having tremendous standing in the international community with our diversity, rich history in human rights championing and wonderful array of colleges and universities here that are each trying to internationalize their campuses,” Eaves said. “I want to do all I can as chairman of Fulton County to connect the county and the city in a strategic way with the international community to increase our standing.”

Eaves brought a strong international relations background to his role as Chairman. He served as a regional administrator with the Peace Corps for seven years. He also served as Chairman of the Atlanta Sister Cities commission. He has personally traveled to more than 50 countries.

“Fulton County is a thriving and diverse community,” said Eaves. “We have tremendous economic development potential to serve as the U.S. home base for international businesses.”

John Eaves is chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. As head of the largest county in the State of Georgia, he presides over a seven-member governing commission representing 14 municipalities with an annual operating budget of $935 million and a diverse population of nearly one million residents, including the City of Atlanta.